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LNG-powered “Viking Energy” to undergo ammonia powered fuel cell conversion

Viking Energy will have a large 2MW ammonia fuel cell retrofitted, allowing it to sail solely on the clean fuel for up to 3,000 hours annually.
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Presse2 FCH Europa

Maritime innovation project ShipFC recently announced its objective to install the world’s first ammonia-powered fuel cell on an offshore supply vessel Viking Energy; the project has been awarded EUR 10 million funding from the European Union. 

The project is being run by a consortium of 14 European companies and institutions that is coordinated by the Norwegian cluster organisation NCE Maritime CleanTech, and has been awarded backing from the EU’s Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020 under its Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU).

One of the major project milestones is to demonstrate the possibility of a long-range zero-emission voyages with high power on larger ships by installing a large 2MW ammonia fuel cell retrofitted into an offshore vessel Viking Energy.

This will allow Viking Energy to sail solely on the clean fuel for up to 3,000 hours annually.

ShipFC will also be aiming to achieve the following milestones:

  • To ensure that a large fuel cell can deliver total electric power to shipboards systems safely and effectively. 
  • A significant part of the project will be the scale up of a 100-kilowatt fuel cell to 2 megawatts. 
  • The fuel cell is tested on land in a parallel project and development and construction will be undertaken by Prototech. 
  • Testing will be executed at the Sustainable Energy Norwegian Catapult Centre. 
  • The ship-side ammonia system will be supplied by Wärtsilä. 
  • Norwegian crop nutrition company Yara has been contracted to supply the green ammonia which will be produced by electrolysis and delivered to Viking Energy containerised to enable easy and safe refuelling.
  • Perform studies on three other vessel types, namely offshore construction vessels and two cargo vessel types, to illustrate the ability to transfer this technology to other segments of the shipping industry.

The ammonia fuel cell system will be installed in Viking Energy in late 2023.

The project represents the latest stage in the long running collaboration between Equinor, Eidesvik and Wärtsilä. 

The 6013 dwt Viking Energy was the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered ocean going vessels in 2003, and Eidesvik and Wärtsilä also collaborated on the 2009-built Viking Lady, another LNG-fueled vessel that was seen as a milestone in the transition of shipping with its installation of fuel cells and marine batteries.

“This is a result of hard work over time as we have continued to collaborate with Equinor on transformative projects,” said Eidesvik President & Chief Executive Jan Fredrik Meling.

“We are proud to be pioneers when it comes to introducing new energy carriers and fuels into the industry. This project to install the world’s first ammonia-powered fuel cell will help us continue our journey towards a decarbonized future and help maintain our competitive role”.

 “We see projects such as the ShipFC conversion to use ammonia on a high-powered marine fuel cell as an important step in finding the right sustainable and clean solutions in the future,” said Equinor Senior Vice President for Joint Operations Support Cecilie Rønning.

NCE Maritime Cleantech cluster chief executive Hege Økland said ammonia is an abundant energy source and can easily be made from renewable resources, making it one of the fuels that will likely meet part of shipping’s future energy demand.

“Fair wind to the ShipFC project as it trials the route of maritime decarbonisation with green ammonia as a fuel and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell as a powertrain,” said FCH JU Director Bart Biebuyck.

Bart Biebuyck believes the project complements the portfolio of maritime projects supported by FCH2 JU: MARANDA and FLAGSHIPS, which use hydrogen as a fuel and Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells.

Alongside NCE Maritime Cleantech (NO), Eidesvik Shipping (NO), Equinor (NO), Prototech (NO) and Yara (NO) in the European consortium are:

  • Wärtsilä Norway (NO) which will work on the fuel systems, any changes to the ship’s design and stability and the energy management of the vessel. 
  • Fraunhofer IMM(GE), an institute of the leading German organisation for applied research, has expertise with fuel cell process development and will assist Prototech in the development and construction of the ammonia fuel cell system. 
  • A specialised SME Persee (FR) is an expert in energy management controls and data. 
  • The University of Strathclyde (UK) and National Centre for Scientific Research Demokritis (GR) are consortium members assessing any safety criteria. 
  • The three test cases that will look at the ability to transfer the technology to other vessels has led to North Sea Shipping (NO), Capital-Executive Ship Management (GR) and Star Bulk Ship Management (CY) also being part of the consortium. 
  • One of the five Catapult centres in Norway, Sustainable Energy Norwegian Catapult Centre, has responsibility for testing autonomous sustainable energy systems as well as scale-up of the ammonia fuel cell.

 

Photo credit: FCH Europa
Published: 28 January, 2020

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Methanol

CRI delivers world’s largest e-methanol reactor to Liaoyuan project in China

First phase of the project has a production capacity of 170,000 mt of renewable methanol annually, supporting demand for low-carbon fuels in shipping, chemicals, and other sectors.
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July 7, 2026

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CRI delivers world’s largest e-methanol reactor to Liaoyuan project in China

Carbon Recycling International (CRI) has recently delivered the largest of its kind e-methanol reactor for the Liaoyuan E-Methanol Project in Jilin Province, China. 

CRI, a company that develops and deploys technology that converts carbon dioxide emissions into renewable methanol, said the delivery and successful installation of CRI’s proprietary methanol converter reactor is a major construction milestone. 

“The project continues to progress according to plan toward commissioning and start-up later this year,” it said. 

The Liaoyuan project is being developed by CRI’s client Tianying Group (CNTY) and once commissioned will become the largest e-methanol facility in operation globally. 

The first phase has a production capacity of approximately 170,000 metric tonnes (mt) of renewable methanol annually from green hydrogen and captured biogenic carbon dioxide, supporting the growing demand for low-carbon fuels in shipping, chemicals, and other sectors seeking practical and scalable pathways to decarbonisation.

The methanol converter reactor forms the core of CRI’s proprietary Emissions-to-Liquids (ETL) technology. Designed and supplied by CRI, the reactor is where renewable hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide are converted into renewable methanol through the company’s proven industrial-scale process. It has been specifically designed and constructed with operational flexibility as a key feature and represents the third generation of CRI’s e-methanol reactor design.

The successful installation represented a significant construction milestone and marked the transition to the final stages of project execution.

“The installation of the methanol converter reactor is an important milestone for both Tianying and CRI,” said John Milner, Project Manager at Carbon Recycling International. 

“The reactor is the core of our ETL technology and embodies nearly two decades of innovation, engineering development, and commercial operating experience. Seeing this equipment installed at one of the world’s most ambitious renewable energy projects is a proud moment for our team and a major milestone as the Liaoyuan facility advances toward commissioning and start-up.”

CRI’s technology is already deployed at commercial scale at the company’s reference plants in Anyang and Lianyungang, and the Liaoyuan project represents the next step in the continued deployment of carbon recycling technology to support the production of renewable fuels and chemicals.

 

Photo credit: Carbon Recycling International
Published: 7 July, 2026

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Association

German bunker supplier Heinrich Wegener & Sohn joins Global Ethanol Association

Both will advance the development of ethanol and methanol bunkering by fostering collaboration across the maritime value chain.

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July 7, 2026

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German bunker supplier Heinrich Wegener & Sohn joins Global Ethanol Association

Heinrich Wegener & Sohn, a family-run German company that supplies marine fuels and lubricants to the shipping industry, recently joined Global Ethanol Association as its newest member. 

With a long-standing reputation in maritime logistics and bunkering, the association said Heinrich Wegener & Sohn brings valuable expertise and industry leadership at a time when demand for low-carbon marine fuels is accelerating.

“Together, we look forward to advancing the development of ethanol and methanol bunkering by fostering collaboration across the maritime value chain, supporting infrastructure development, and helping enable the transition to cleaner, more sustainable shipping,” it said. 

The company, founded in 1929, focuses on the supply of marine diesel, gas oil, methanol, and certified biofuels in accordance with the RED II directive.

As a German reseller for Gulf Oil Marine, the company supplies marine lubricants to over 380 ships worldwide on a contract basis.

 

Photo credit: Heinrich Wegener & Sohn
Published: 7 July, 2026

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Ammonia

Grimaldi Group unveils ammonia-ready PCTC in Türkiye

Named after Türkiye’s largest city and economic capital, the “Grande Istanbul” is one of the 17 latest-generation, ammonia-ready PCTCs commissioned by the Grimaldi Group.
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July 7, 2026

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Grimaldi Group unveils ammonia-ready PCTC in Türkiye

Grimaldi Group recently presented the Grande Istanbul, one of its latest-generation, ammonia-ready Pure Car & Truck Carriers (PCTCs), during a ceremony held at Autoport in Kocaeli, Türkiye.

Named after Türkiye’s largest city and economic capital, the Grande Istanbul is one of the 17 latest-generation, ammonia-ready PCTCs commissioned by the Grimaldi Group.

The vessel offers a capacity of up to 9,241 CEUs while reducing CO₂ emissions per unit of cargo by up to 50% compared with previous-generation car carriers.

“The ceremony reaffirmed the Group’s long-term commitment to Türkiye, where it has been operating for almost five decades,” the company said in a social media post.

“Today, around 20 state-of-the-art ro-ro vessels and PCTCs connect Turkish ports with a global network of more than 150 ports in over 60 countries, supporting the country’s automotive industry and international trade.”

The Grande Istanbul is currently deployed on the Grimaldi Group’s EuroMed Service, linking several ports in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, including Autoport, Borusan, Derince, Gemlik, Haydarpaşa and İzmir in Türkiye. 

 

Photo credit: Grimaldi Group
Published: 7 July, 2026

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